Oktober Fest

Beer Name: Oktober Fest
Brewery: Stoudts Brewing Company
ABV: 5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Yeah, Oktober Fest is now two words. So deal with that. I bought this beer because I wanted to try something new and the bottle had a weird looking guy with some kind of musical instrument. Apparently I am still buying beer based on appearances, which I really shouldn't do.

Oktober Fest is a amber colored beer with hints of orange to it. It poured with a decent amount of head that faded slowly but only left a light lacing behind. The aroma of this beer is very faint, but there's a maltiness to it and maybe some very faint fruitiness. There's definitely something else in the background, but it's a bit difficult to pick out.

This beer has everything you'd expect from an Oktoberfest beer. There's a nice caramel maltiness to it, very little hops, and a smoothness to each sip. This is fairly light Oktoberfest as far as the experience goes. Unlike something like, say, Sam Adams, drinking one of these does not feel like a monumental event. Instead, it's light and easily enjoyable. This is lightly carbonated with a fairly clean finish and only a slight aftertaste of sweetness.

Final thought - I found this to be a nicely enjoyable beer, and I will probably seek it out again next fall to enjoy another 6 or so.

-Jon

Octoberfest

Beer Name: Wachusett Octoberfest
Brewery: Wachusett Brewing Company
ABV: 5.2%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown, best by Dec 2010

It must be almost the end of the Oktoberfest season, so hopefully I'll finish off on a strong note. I found this one in Kathryn's fridge, and it wasn't in there the last time I was here, so it must be pretty fresh.

The Wachusett Octoberfest is a golden orange color and slightly cloudy. Perhaps the color could be described as "coppery." There wasn't much head, and it faded almost immediately. The beer leaves a light lacing on the glass. The aroma here is fruity mostly and maybe a little bit of graininess.

This does not taste like an Octoberfest. It has a quality more like a red or brown ale (I can't remember which one is which sometimes). It's a little sweet, and there's a bready flavor to it as well. There's also a faint fruity flavor in the background. It's very drinkable as there is almost no carbonation here, and the aftertaste is only mild as well. If you are a big fan of it, you could probably drink a bunch of these without issue.

Final thought - Well, it's ok, I guess. It just doesn't feel like I'm drinking an Oktoberfest-style beer. I think this beer would go well with food, although I don't know anything about beer/food pairings. Let's say it would be good with. . . hot wings! Or something spicy. I think the sweetness of the beer would work well with spiciness in food. Go try it, and let me know.

-Jon

Altoberfest

Beer Name: Altoberfest
Brewery: Element Brewing Company
ABV: 7%
Serving method: 16-oz pint poured from a 25-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Bottled on 8/18/10

Ok, NOW I've had everything Element has to offer. Well, everything they've had to offer so far. Altoberfest is Element's first seasonal beer, and claims to be a combination of the styles of altbier (apparently that is a real thing) and, obviously, oktoberfest. It was also only brewed in a limited quantity (530 bottles), which means that I probably should have kept the wrapper and number tag in case this brewery gets huge and it's worth something some day. Hey, people collect a lot of weird things.

Altoberfest is a deep reddish brown beer with a malty scent. There isn't a lot of head, and it fades quickly, so you can get right to the drinking of beer. So let's do that.

This beer has a light to medium carbonation (like a 2 out of 5 if you ranked it numerically). The beer starts malty, and then has some kind of sharp flavor at the end. I am not sure what it is, but I didn't really like it. However, as the beer warms up, this sharpness fades. That makes the beer a lot better. If I get another bottle of this, I plan to take it out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes before I drink it.

Final thought - After it warmed up a little, the Altoberfest was a nice beer to sit and drink while relaxing on the couch. I hope they make some more of it next year, because I think it's better than their Extra Special Oak. Bottles aren't cheap though, so that's one negative. That sharp flavor when it's cold isn't great either. I would drink it again, but not frequently.

-Jon

SA Octoberfest

Beer Name: Samuel Adams Octoberfest
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
ABV: 5.3%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown, best by Feb 2011

Now this is where it's at.

This beer smells like fall. I am not exactly sure how to describe the smells of fall, but this beer definitely has those smells. That could possible be because the beer comes out during the fall, but it could also be because they did it on purpose because it's a fall beer. It's really one of those "chicken or the egg" situations.

This Octoberfest is not very hoppy, but it's pretty malty. Maybe they use less hops and more malt when they brew it. It's got a little bit of carbonation, but not too much. It also has a sweet, roasty taste at the end. I bet that is a result of the malt as well. Probably some caramel malt, or something along those lines. There's a whole lot of flavor going on here, so it's not for the Bud Light crowd.

Final thought - I really don't think I need to tell you about Sam's Octoberfest offering. At this point, you should know that you either like it or you don't. I think you should be in the first group, but that's because I like good beer. This would be a good beer to drink a bunch of while sitting around a fire and throwing funny things on it. Especially if the fire is at someone else's house, due to the risks involved.

-Jon

OC Oktoberfest

Beer Name: Oktoberfest
Brewery: Otter Creek Brewing
ABV: 4.8%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Bottled 8/29/10

While it's a little early by the calendar, the weather definitely says that it's time to break out the Oktoberfests. I didn't want to do 2 Sam Adams beers in a row, so I decided to give Otter Creek's offering a try. Let's see how it goes.

The first impression (smell) isn't fantastic. It's not bad, but I'm not excited by the beer that's about to follow it. It's hard to pick out any major scents in here, so I don't know what to expect. Maybe it's better that way though.

After the first sip, things are looking up. It tastes a little bit like an amber ale, although I don't know whether or not it's supposed to. Are Oktoberfests a version of an amber? I am going to go check. Hold on.

Ok, I checked for like 45 seconds and could not find anything definitive other than the fact that American Oktoberfest beers are inspired by the Märzen style of brewing, which is supposed to produce full-bodied beers. So really I learned nothing about the amber question. I should at least get partial credit for trying though. I'll give me a D+, maybe a C- if the rest of this post goes smoothly.

Anyways, it's amber-esque at the beginning, and has a nice smooth finish. There is no real aftertaste or lingering flavor at all, which I also associate with the amber beers. There is a slight hoppiness to it, but nothing overpowering. Letting it get warm is a mistake though. This is a beer that is clearly intended to be drunk cold. Be sure to get them into the fridge ASAP.

Final thought - OC Oktoberfest is a decent Oktoberfest beer, but it's definitely overshadowed by other beers out there. I would deem it slightly above average. It's not a bad choice, but it's not the best. Come on, Otter Creek, you can do better!

-Jon